Regions: North Slave Region
| Principal Investigator: | Wiatzka, Gerd M (12) |
| Licence Number: | 14618 |
| Organization: | SENES Consultants Ltd. |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2009
|
| Issued: | Sep 17, 2009 |
| Project Team: | Gerd Wiatzka (Project Director, SENES Consultants Ltd.), Tony Brown (Project Manager, SENES Consultants Ltd.), Patrick Harrison (Designated Substances , SENES Consultants Ltd.), Amy Garva (Radiation Specialist, SENES Consultants Ltd.), Ron Stager (Radiation Specialist, SENES Consultants Ltd.), Claire Brown (Water Quality Monitoring, SENES Consultants Ltd.), Colin Macdonald (Biologist, Northern Environmental Consulting), Wildlife Monitor/Sampling Assisstant (Bear Safety and Field Technician, Local Community Member), Wildlife Monitor/Sampling Assisstant (Bear Safety and Field Technician, Local Community Member) |
Objective(s): The objective of the work is to to complete a Supplementary Site Assessment of Rayrock Mine, the results of which will be used to determine if there are any residual risks associated with the site and identify options to mitigate those risks.
Project Description: The Rayrock Mine site has been previously remediated, but additional assessment work is proposed to ensure that the remedial efforts were effective, complete, and in good condition. INAC has contracted SENES to complete a Supplementary Site Assessment, the results of which will be used to determine if there are any residual risks associated with the site and identify options to mitigate those risks. Several methods will be used during this 2009 Environmental Site Assessment to determine the current environmental status of the remediated Rayrock Mine. A gamma radiation survey will be conducted over all potentially impacted areas. The technique involves collecting measurements of gamma radiation and location every second using a specialized instrumentation attached GPS. A similar survey will be conducted on the 80km access route to the site. A small number of water samples are planned to be collected from the shoreline of Sherman Lake, near to the mine site. While the lake has been sampled in previous years, additional samples are required to determine the extent of influence of the mine on the lake. Soils displaying signs of staining will be sampled for petroleum hydrocarbons. The minimal on-site building and mining materials remaining will be sampled for potential contaminants where considered appropriate. A generalized site survey will be conducted to examine the condition of previously constructed remedial measures, and potential landfill/borrow areas. All samples will be collected manually, with no power tools or gas-powered equipment. Transportation along the route will be by ATVs which may also be used for on-site transportation. Radon will also be measured at the site, using small track-etch sensors left at the mine for 6 months and 1 year (to determine if levels are lower in the winter). Local community members will be hired to assist during the field program operating as wildlife monitors and environmental sampling assistants. Personnel are of yet unknown, but the intention is to hire Tlîchô citizens. Upon completion of the field work and receipt of sampling results, reports will be prepared for INAC-CARD. INAC-CARD will ultimately be responsible for communicating the results to local communities as part of their broader consultation/communication efforts with Tlîchô communities. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 18, 2009 to October 10, 2009.
